Sean Connery as Gandalf. That almost happened.
Movies and television shows are produced for a variety of reasons- entertainment, political statement, educational to name a few- but all of them have one thing in common. They utilize a set of moving pictures and sounds to tell a story. And as end users, that is what we are treated to for a couple of hours. However, there is so much more to it than that. Thousands of personnel and countless man hours of writing, producing, filming, and editing that come together to make a film or show what it is. Out of this comes one of the most important roles in the movie and TV production process: choosing the right persons to portray the story correctly and effectively.
Usually, the top brass does an effective job of choosing the talent for the movie or TV show. On the other hand, whether due to the actor’s timetable, career considerations, or the creative insights by the director, they swing and miss on one actor and are forced to settle on their second choice. An article on CNN.com earlier today highlights 10 well-known movies in which one of these factors led to a well-known actor/actress rejecting the role and another, perhaps less famous, person stepping in to the roles we all are familiar with. And the rest, they say is history.
Check out the list of near-misses and “What were they thinking?” moments here. Some turned out for the best, but some might have changed things for the better if they had worked out.
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